Unusual noises coming from our boilers may cost us hundreds of pounds, experts say.
And as energy bills are set to rise by a further £500 a year for the typical household from April, now is the time to avoid extra costs from piling up.
Brits are being told to keep an ear out for new sounds in their home, like a bubbling, popping or hissing noise, as it could mean that something has gone wrong with your boiler - or a radiator needs fixing.
Experts at Toolstation have revealed what the noises mean, how to fix it and the costs involved.
A bubbling or popping noise coming from you boiler could, in the best case scenario, be a sign of low water pressure.
Worst case scenario, it could be something called kettling.
Kettling is when the heat exchanged becomes too hot and produces steam bubbles. When these bubbles move to a colder area, a bubbling sound is made.
Kettling would require calling in a heating professional and can cost anywhere from £75 to £300 to repair, according to Toolstation.
Experts at Toolstation say: “If you do hear a peculiar sound coming from your boiler, it’s always good to call a professional either way just to double-check.
“Low pressure in your boiler usually just requires topping up.”
But it's not just our boilers we should be keeping an eye on as we begin to use them more frequently this winter.
Households should also pay close attention to their radiators.
If you hear a hissing sound from your radiator, it likely means your radiator needs bleeding - but thankfully this is much cheaper to fix.
A hissing radiator means there is water or air moving through the heating system.
When too much air gets trapped in a radiator, some parts, or the entire radiator will stop heating up.
Bleeding the radiator is the best way to fix this issue, which can be done at home with a radiator key.
Luckily the cost ranges from just £1-£3, but if the hissing is accompanied by banging and thumping or other louder noises, then you'll have to get in touch with a heating engineer to investigate the issue further.
Experts at Toolstation say: “Leaving your radiator to hiss and not bleeding it can lead to other problems that are worse than your original one.
“Firstly, trapped air means your heating will reduce despite you having it on, wasting your money.
“Leaving it for long enough will cause knock-on problems to the whole of your system and you’ll eventually have to call in a plumber. This will substantially increase the cost to fix.”
